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With all the information about how to care for your health through better eating it can sometimes feel overwhelming to know just what to do. Luckily, for those who are not medical professionals or nutritionists, there are several search engines available to help you understand the many different aspects of changing eating habits, whether for you or your clients. From information on nutrition and weight loss to finding local and sustainable foods to researching food safety to learning healthy ways to eat out to finding healthy recipes, the following search engines will provide you with the information you need to make smarter food choices.

Nutrition and Weight Loss Information

Count calories, learn about the content of the foods you eat, and find nutrition information on food with these search engines.

1. USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory. Search for a food with this search engine to get a complete breakdown of the vitamins, minerals, lipids, amino acids, and more.
2. CalorieKing. Use the food search engine on this site to discover nutrition facts on individual foods or for foods from popular restaurants and coffee shops.
3. a Calorie Counter. The search engine at a Calorie Counter delivers information from the USDA food nutrition database in a quick and simple format that’s as easy to understand as any nurse’s nutritional advice.
4. The Daily Plate. A part of LIVESTRONG.com, this database at The Daily Plate includes information about almost 700,000 foods. They also provide fitness activities to help you manage your weight.
5. Calorie Count. Type in a food to receive nutrition information, a nutrition grade, a nutritional breakdown, and an analysis of the food.
6. The Calorie Counter. Search by food group or a particular food to determine the amount of calories your food has. This is an excellent way to monitor your daily caloric intake.
7. Arbor Nutrition Guide. This search engine provides you with plenty of links and resources on a variety of food and nutrition topics.
8. Nutrition Engine. Search for food and receive a huge amount of nutrition information on your selection, including charts and colorful graphs showing a make-up of the food.
9. DailyBurn Food Search. Get nutrition information on 155,000 foods with this search engine that allows you to sort by calories, fat, carbs, and protein.

Local and Sustainable Foods

Find farmers’ markets, family farms, local and organic restaurants, find safe and ecologically-friendly seafood, and more with these search engines.

1. FarmersMarket. Use this search engine to find a farmer’s market near you. Search by area code, zip code, city, street name, or any other parameter.
2. EatWild.com. Devoted to connecting consumers with pasture-fed food, this site will direct you to farms that sell meat, egg, and dairy products in the US and Canada.
3. CSA Search. Find Community Supported Agriculture farms around the country with this simple search engine.
4. Local Harvest. This search engine will help you locate family farms and CSAs so you can purchase local and organic foods directly from the source.
5. Environmental Defense Fund Seafood Selector. Use this search engine or browse through lists by eco-friendliness to find out what seafood and their specific species are ecologically smart to eat and if there are any health concerns such as high mercury content or other contaminants.
6. Ecovian. Find restaurants, food stores, and farms in your area that provide local and organic food. This search engine is growing city-by-city, so offer your insight on eco-friendly businesses to help enlarge the database.
7. Coop Directory Service Listing. Find food co-ops in the 50 states and coop distributor information here.
8. USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Farmers Market Search. The USDA keeps a database of farmers’ markets across the US. Use the flexible search parameters here to find a market in your area.
9. Eat Well Guide. Find fresh, sustainable, and local food in farms, markets and restaurants anywhere in the US and Canada with this search engine.

Health and Food Safety

These search engines will act like a personal nurse, helping you learn about healthy eating, healthy habits, and food safety.

1. Nutrinium. Search by topics such as “nutrition” to find health articles touching on the subject of your choice.
2. OrganizedWisdom. Use this powerful search engine to find health and nutrition information that is guided by experts in their fields.
3. International Food Information Council. This organization provides science-based food information. Use their advanced search engine to find information on food safety, nutrition, and more.
4. fealth. This search engine provides results specifically related to health issues and is a good place to search for nutrition and food safety information.
5. FDA Search Engine. Use this search engine to find information on food safety, allergens, nutrition, food labeling, and more from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
6. www.FoodSafety.gov. Search documents from federal agencies that pertain to food safety issues with this search engine by keyword or within specific food safety categories.

Eating Out

It’s no secret that eating out can be an extremely unhealthy way to eat, as any medical professional can attest. Use these search engines to find what to order when you eat fast food or at a restaurant.

1. CalorieLab. With a database of over 70,000 foods and 500 restaurant menus available with this search engine, you are sure to find nutrition information for the food you want to eat the next time you go out.
2. Fast Food Nutrition Facts. Search through 17 popular fast food restaurants to learn about the nutrition information for the foods at each. Also find recommendations for healthy meals from these restaurants.
3. Delocator. Use your zip code to find places to get coffee, organic food, books, music, and movies from local businesses in your area.
4. Fast Food Facts. Find out all about the nutrition in your favorite fast food with searches by restaurant, food category, or a specific item.
5. NutraWatch Food Finder. Select “Fast Foods” from the drop-down menu, then enter your keyword to find nutrition information on many popular fast food items. Other foods are also available here.

Vegetarian Eating

If you are switching to a vegetarian way of eating, use these search engines to find recipes, restaurants, and more to support your choice.

1. V3GGIE. This vegetarian search engine will find anything from recipes to news to blog articles with results coming only from vegetarian and vegan sites.
2. VegWeb. Use this search engine to find vegetarian recipes that includes categories such as dairy or meat alternatives, kid-friendly recipes, and more.
3. 101 Cookbooks. This popular site offers searchable recipes that are primarily vegetarian and always natural and healthy.
4. Vegetarian Times Recipes. Search for vegetarian recipes with this search engine that can be customized to find exactly the type of recipe you want by selecting options such as egg-free, dairy-free, holiday, season, cuisine, and more.
5. VegCooking. Find vegetarian recipes, products, and restaurants when you do a search here.
6. The Vegetarian Resource Group Online Restaurant Guide. Use this search engine to find vegetarian, vegan, or vegetarian-friendly restaurants in the US and Canada.
7. HappyCow. Find vegetarian restaurants and food stores in your area with this easy-to-use search engine.
8. VegDining.com. Search for vegetarian restaurants around the world here just by starting with your city name.

Recipe Searches

These search engines offer general recipe searches, many with options for healthy food choices. Learn to make your own healthy food at home instead of relying on the drive-through window.

1. FitFood.com Recipe Search. Find recipes tailored to your healthy choices by type of food, type of meal, or with categories such as rich in fruits or lower in fat.
2. Meals for You. Find recipes here that include a breakdown of calories, protein, fat, cholesterol, calories from fat, and fiber.
3. FoodieView. This search engine will help you find healthy recipes, restaurants, and more. Search by specific dietary considerations, type of cuisine, and more.
4. Food Blog Search. Look for a recipe among more than 3000 food blogs with this search engine. Search by keyword for a type of food, a specific recipe, specific diets, or more to discover what is available the food blogs.
5. Food.com. Join the beta testing on this search engine that looks among all the top food websites to discover all available recipes. You can also store your favorite recipes in an online recipe box here.
6. The Big Fat Food Search Engine. Powered by Google, use this search engine to find what you want from only food-related websites.
7. Food Network. The search possibilities are many on this search engine which allows you to look for a recipe by quick meals, what’s in season, the chef who created it, or searching the entire site.
8. FoodTube.net. Search for your favorite recipe and get results in the form of video recipes with this search engine.
9. Epicurious Recipes. Search for recipes and menus here that include options such as healthy foods and seasonal cooking.
10. Allrecipes. This popular site offers a search engine with recipes that include nutritional information. Searches can be done within specific categories such as heart healthy.
11. Cooking.com. This search engine allows you to search for recipes by lifestyle considerations such as healthy weight, non-dairy, and wheat-free.
12. Food & Wine Recipes. Find a recipe by the type of food, healthy food, vegetarian, the chef who created the dish, and many more options.
13. RecipeSource. Look for a recipe among the thousands available on this search engine. Check out the Restricted & Special Diet section for diabetic, gluten-free, and vegetarian recipes.